Apparatus for providing a gateway between a wired telephone and a wireless telephone network

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is provided for creating a gateway between a wired telephone and a wireless telephone network. The gateway device is connected to a wired home telephone network having one or more wired telephones, a wired telephone network, such as the PSTN, and a wireless telephone network. The apparatus may operate in a first mode that allows the wired telephone network to be utilized as a primary telephone network for the wired home telephone network and the wireless telephone network to be utilized as a backup in case of failure of the wired telephone network. Alternatively, the apparatus may operate in a second mode that allows the wireless telephone network to be utilized as a primary telephone network for the wired home telephone network and the wired telephone network to be utilized as a backup in case of failure of the wireless telephone network. The selection of the operating mode for the apparatus may be based upon user selection, a user-specified time schedule, dialed digits, or other factors.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to the field of wirelesstelecommunications. More specifically, the present invention relates toa gateway between a wired telephone network and a wireless telephonenetwork.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most residential telephone service is provided utilizing a wire-basedconnection to an analog telephone network. This type of connection,known as a connection to the public switched telephone network (“PSTN”)or plain old telephone service (“POTS”) network, has long been thestandard for providing residential phone service. A connection to a POTSnetwork typically utilizes twisted pairs of copper wire as thetransmission medium between the residence and the telephone network.While POTS networks provide extremely reliable telephone service,telephone users utilizing POTS networks do occasionally experienceunavailability of service. Interruptions in service may be caused byelectrical storms, equipment failure, broken line connections, and ahost of other problems.

When a technical problem occurs that causes the POTS network to becomeunavailable, residential users until recently were unable to place orreceive telephone calls. However, with the increased popularity ofmodern wireless telephone networks, many individuals subscribe towireless telephone service in addition to their wire-based analog POTSservice. Many times, wireless subscribers will utilize their wirelesstelephone in the event of a failure of their residential POTS service.Using a wireless telephone as a “backup” to POTS service in this mannermay be effective for some subscribers, but can be frustrating forothers. For instance, a subscriber may have wireless service associatedwith a telephone that is physically mounted in their automobile. If thePOTS service is interrupted for such a user, they must physically go outto their automobile to make telephone calls. This can be inconvenientand frustrating for a subscriber, especially if the subscriber has to goout into the rain or snow to make a telephone call from theirautomobile. In other cases, a subscriber may be unable to utilize theirwireless telephone as a backup to their POTS service because the batteryin their wireless telephone is not charged, or if the battery drains dueto extended use as a backup. In such cases, a subscriber would simply beunable to utilize their wireless telephone service as a backup to theirPOTS telephone service. In a situation such as this, it is desirable tohave a backup to POTS service that is more conveniently accessible thanwireless telephone.

In addition to utilizing wireless telephone service as an occasionalbackup to POTS service, some wireless subscribers occasionally choose toutilize their wireless telephones instead of their POTS service when athome. Use of a wireless telephone in this manner is driven primarily bythe low cost of wireless telephone service, especially on nights andweekends when many wireless service plans offer “free” wireless airtimeminutes. Some wireless service plans even offer “free” long distanceservice during these times. In such a scenario, a wireless telephonesubscriber may utilize their wireless telephone to place calls during acertain time period, such as nights and weekends, and utilize their POTSservice to place calls during other time periods, such as during the daywhen wireless service is charged at peak rates. As with using a wirelesstelephone as a backup, using a wireless telephone as an occasionalsupplement to POTS service can be inconvenient. For instance, in orderto use a wireless telephone in this manner a subscriber must keep trackof the rates for wired and wireless telephone calls during differenttimes of the day and must always have a charged wireless telephoneready.

As a result of the low cost of wireless telephone service, some wirelesssubscribers have even decided to forego residential POTS servicealtogether. Instead, these users utilize wireless telephone service astheir only telephone service, whether at the office, on the road, or athome. However, as with POTS service, wireless telephone service maybecome interrupted due to electrical storms, technical failure,excessive use of available capacity, and for other reasons. Whenwireless telephone service becomes unavailable, subscribers who do nothave residential POTS service, and instead utilize only wirelesstelephone service, are completely unable to place or receive telephonecalls. In a situation such as this, it is desirable to have aconveniently accessible backup to wireless telephone service.

Another drawback to utilizing wireless telephone service as the soletelephone service for a residence is that a single wireless telephone isthe only telephone for making or receiving calls within the entirehousehold. Because the analog POTS wiring and telephones in the home areincompatible with all wireless telephone networks, the convenienceoffered by having multiple extension telephones in a home cannot berealized when using wireless telephone service as the only service. In asituation such as this, it would be more convenient if the analog POTSwiring and telephones could be utilized to place and receive calls on awireless telephone network.

Therefore, in light of the above, there is a need for a gatewayapparatus that can provide an automatic and convenient backup totraditional POTS service using a wireless telephone network.Additionally, there is a need for a gateway apparatus that can providetelephone service to wired POTS telephones through a wireless telephonenetwork. Furthermore, there is a need for a gateway apparatus that canutilize either a wired telephone network or a wireless telephone networkas a telephone network for one or more wired telephones, the primarynetwork being chosen based upon a user-specified time schedule or otherfactor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the above problems by providing anapparatus that acts as a gateway between a wired home telephone networkand a wireless telephone network. According to one embodiment of theinvention, the apparatus can provide a backup to a wired home telephonenetwork through a wireless telephone network if the connection betweenthe wired home telephone network and a wired telephone network fails.According to this embodiment, all calls placed while in a backup mode onwired telephones connected to the wired home telephone network arecompleted the wireless network by the gateway apparatus provided herein.The gateway apparatus converts signals between the wired home telephonenetwork and the wireless network in order to complete the telephonecalls.

According to another actual embodiment of the present invention, agateway apparatus is provided that permits the use of a wirelesstelephone network as a primary telephone network on a wired hometelephone network. In order to provide such functionality, the gatewaydevice is electrically connected to the wired home telephone network,including any wired telephones in the home. The gateway device alsomaintains a connection to a wired telephone network, such as the PSTN,and a wireless connection to a wireless telephone network. When callsare placed on a wired telephone, the gateway apparatus converts signalsreceived from the wired telephone to signals compatible with thewireless telephone network and places the call on the wireless telephonenetwork. The gateway apparatus continually converts signals between thewired home telephone network and the wireless network in order tofacilitate the telephone call. The gateway apparatus is also operativeto determine if a communications link exists with the wireless telephonenetwork. If a communications link does not exist, the gateway apparatusis operative to electrically connect the wired home telephone network toa wired telephone network, such as the PSTN, thereby providing awireline backup to the primary wireless telephone service.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a gatewayapparatus is provided that may operate in either of two modes ofoperation. In the first mode of operation, all calls made on wiredtelephones connected to a wired home network are routed by the gatewayapparatus to a wired telephone network, such as the PSTN. The apparatusmonitors the operational status of the wired telephone network todetermine whether it is operational. In the event the wired telephonenetwork is not operational, the apparatus routes telephone calls made onthe wired home telephone network through a wireless telephone network.The apparatus also routes incoming calls received through the wirelesstelephone network to wired telephones on the wired home network.

In the second mode of operation, all calls made on wired telephonesconnected to a wired home network are routed by the gateway apparatus toa wireless telephone network. The apparatus monitors the operationalstatus of the wireless telephone network to determine whether it isoperational. In the event the wireless telephone network is notoperational, the apparatus routes telephone calls made on the wired hometelephone network through a wired telephone network. The apparatus alsoroutes incoming calls received through the wired telephone network towired telephones on the wired home network. The first or second modes ofoperation may be selected based upon a user-specified time schedule,dialed digits collected from a wired telephone on the wired homenetwork, or other factors.

Additional details regarding the present invention will become apparentfrom the detailed description that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an illustrative operating environmentfor one embodiment of the present invention and a hardware architecturefor a gateway apparatus provided according to an actual embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a state diagram illustrating a base mode of operation for agateway apparatus provided according to one actual embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a state diagram illustrating a mode of operation for a gatewayapparatus provided according to one actual embodiment of the presentinvention in which a wireless telephone network is utilized as a backupto traditional POTS service on wired telephones; and

FIG. 4 is a state diagram illustrating a mode of operation for a gatewayapparatus provided according to one actual embodiment of the presentinvention in which a wireless telephone network is utilized as a primarytelephone network for one or more wired telephones and a traditionalPOTS service is utilized as a backup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

As described briefly above, the present invention provides a gatewayapparatus for creating a gateway between a wired home telephone networkand a wireless telephone network. The gateway device is connected to awired home telephone network having one or more wired telephones, awired telephone network such as the PSTN, and a wireless telephonenetwork. According to one embodiment of the invention, the apparatusallows the wired telephone network to be utilized as a primary telephonenetwork for the wired home telephone network and also allows thewireless telephone network to be utilized as a backup in case of failureof the wired telephone network. According to another embodiment of theinvention, the apparatus allows the wireless telephone network to beutilized as a primary telephone network for the wired telephones andalso allows the wired telephone network to be utilized as a backup incase of failure of the wireless telephone network.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, thegateway apparatus is operative to provide a dual mode of operation. In afirst mode of operation, a wired telephone network may be utilized as aprimary telephone network and a wireless telephone network may beutilized as a backup telephone network. In this mode of operation, allcalls placed from the wired home telephone network are placed over thewired telephone network. In the event of failure of the wired telephonenetwork, all calls placed on the wired home telephone network are placedover the wireless telephone network.

In a second mode of operation, a wireless telephone network is utilizedas a primary telephone network and a wired telephone network is utilizedas a backup telephone network. All calls placed by telephones connectedto a wired home telephone network are placed over the wireless network.In the event of failure of the wireless telephone network, calls placedon the wired home telephone network are placed over the wired telephonenetwork.

The first or second modes of operation may be selected based upon a userpreference, a user specified time schedule, dialed digits collected froma wired telephone on the wired home network, or other types of factors.

Referring now to the figures, in which like numerals represent likeelements, an illustrative embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed. FIG. 1 shows an illustrative operating environment for oneembodiment of the present invention and a hardware architecture for anillustrative gateway apparatus provided herein. Referring now to FIG. 1,the gateway apparatus 2 and the illustrative operating environment foraspects of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1,a gateway apparatus 2 is provided that creates a gateway between a wiredhome telephone network 4 and a wired telephone network 8. The wired hometelephone network 4 comprises the dual-pair copper wire utilized toconnect one or more wired telephones 30A–30B to the wired telephonenetwork 8 in a traditional manner. The wired telephone network 8comprises a traditional analog wired telephone network such as the PSTNor POTS networks.

As shown in FIG. 1, the gateway apparatus 2 interfaces with the wirelesshome telephone network 4 through a wired telephone interface 26. Inparticular, the gateway apparatus 2 interfaces with the wired hometelephone network 4 through the wired telephone interface 26 through theuse of a standard RJ11 telephone plug. Through this interface, thegateway apparatus 2 is electrically connected to each of the wiredtelephones 30A–30B. A current source 20 is also provided that iselectrically connected to the wired home telephone network 4. Thecurrent source 20 is utilized to provide an electrical current to thewired telephones 30A–30B that is compatible with the electrical currentprovided by the wired telephone network 8. In this manner, electricalcurrent is provided to the telephones 30A–30B that may be utilized toprovide ring signals and lighting. The specific operation of the wiredtelephone interface 26 and the current source 20 will be described ingreater detail below with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The gateway interface 2 also comprises a wired network interface 28. Thewired network interface 28 also provides an interface to the wiredtelephone network 8. The wired network interface 28 providesfunctionality for determining whether the connection to the wiredtelephone network 8 is operative or inoperative. Through the use of thewired network interface 28 and the wired telephone interface 26, thewired telephones 30A–30B may be electrically connected or disconnectedfrom the wired telephone network 8.

The gateway apparatus 2 also comprises a wireless radio 16. The wirelessradio 16 may be connected to an internal antenna 18 or connected to anexternal antenna 10. Through the wireless radio 16, a wirelessconnection 32 may be established with the wireless telephone network 6.The wireless radio comprises a standard wireless radio compatible foruse with a cellular telephone network or personal communications systemnetwork. Wireless radios for establishing such communication are wellknown to those skilled in the art.

The gateway apparatus 2 also comprises a multi-line display 12 and akeypad 24. The keypad 24 may be utilized for programming the operationof the gateway apparatus 2. The multi-line display 12 may also beutilized for programming the gateway apparatus 2, for displaying callprogress indicators, configuration information, and other types of data.The gateway apparatus 2 also includes a controller 14 for controllingthe operation of the gateway apparatus 2. The controller 14 may comprisea central processing unit, memory, and other circuitry. The controller14, through the use of an operating program, controls the wiredtelephone interface 26, the wired network interface 28, the currentsource 20, the wireless radio 16, and the multi-line display 12.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a user may interact with thegateway apparatus 2 through the keyboard 24 and the multi-line display12. According to one embodiment, the user may indicate that the gatewayapparatus 2 is to utilize the wired telephone network 8 as a primarytelephone network for the wired telephones 30A–30B and to utilize thewireless telephone network 6 as a backup network. According to thisembodiment of the present invention, the wired network interface 28 isoperative to determine whether a connection with the wired telephonenetwork 8 becomes inoperative. If the connection becomes inoperative,the controller is operative to instruct the current source 20 to provideelectrical current to the wired telephones 30A–30B.

If one of the wired telephones 30A–30B is placed in an off-hookposition, the wired telephone interface 36 detects the off-hook stateand notifies the controller 14. The controller 14 may then instruct thewired telephone interface 26 to provide a dial tone signal to the wiredtelephones 30A–30B and to receive one or more dialed digits from thewired telephones 30A–30B. Once the dialed digits have been received, thecontroller 14 instructs the wireless radio 16 to place a wirelesstelephone call over the wireless connection 32 through the wirelesstelephone network 6.

If a call is established through the wireless telephone network 6, theconversion circuitry 22 is utilized to convert between signals receivedat the wireless radio 16 and signals received at the wired telephoneinterface 26. In this manner, the wired telephones 30A–30B can beutilized to place a call over the wireless telephone network 6 in muchthe same way that a call would be traditionally placed over the wiredtelephone network 8. Additional details regarding the operation of thegateway apparatus 2 in this mode will be described in greater detailbelow with respect to FIG. 4.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a user may interactwith the gateway apparatus 2 through the keypad 24 and the multi-linedisplay 12 to instruct the gateway apparatus 2 to utilize the wirelesstelephone network 6 as a primary telephone network and to utilize thewired telephone network 8 only in the event that the wireless connection32 with the wireless telephone network 8 becomes inoperative. In thisembodiment of the present invention, the wired telephones 30A–30B may beutilized to place and receive telephone calls over the wirelesstelephone network 6 through the wired telephone interface 26, theconversion circuitry 22, and the wireless radio 16. If the wirelessradio 16 determines that the wireless connection 32 has becomeinoperative, the controller 14 will then instruct the wired networkinterface 28 to electrically connect the wired home telephone network 4to the wired telephone network 8. After such a connection is made, thewired telephones 30A–30B may be utilized to place or receive telephonecalls over the wired telephone network 8 in a traditional fashion.Additional details regarding this mode of operation for the gatewayapparatus 2 will be described in greater detail below with respect toFIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a state machine 200 will be describedillustrating the operation of the gateway apparatus 2. As shown in FIG.2, the state machine 200 begins in state 202, the base mode of operationfor the gateway apparatus 2. In the base mode state 202, the gatewayapparatus 2 determines whether the wireless connection 32 should beutilized as a primary mode of communication for the wired telephones30A–30B or whether the wireless connection 32 should be utilized as abackup connection. In one embodiment, the determination as to whetherthe wireless connection 32 should be utilized as a primary or backuptelephone connection is based upon user preference. For instance, a usermay indicate through the use of the keypad 24 that the gateway apparatusshould always operate in a mode where the wireless connection 32 isutilized as the primary telephone connection. Alternatively, the usermay utilize the keypad 24 to indicate that the wireless connection 32should always be utilized as a backup for the wired connection.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the gateway apparatus 2may be programmed to utilize the wireless connection 32 as a primaryconnection during certain time periods and to utilize the wirelessconnection as a backup connection during other time periods. In thisembodiment of the invention, the user may be permitted to provide a userspecified time schedule for defining when the gateway apparatus 2 shouldoperate in either mode. The controller 14 may then store thisinformation in a memory and utilize this information to switch betweenthe proper mode at the appropriate time. In this manner, a user mayprogram the gateway apparatus 2 to switch between modes based on thecurrently available rates for either the wired telephone network 8 orthe wireless telephone network 6. For instance, the gateway apparatus 2may be programmed to utilize the wireless telephone network 6 as aprimary telephone network during nights and weekends when wireless ratesare inexpensive. During other times, when wireless telephone calls arecharged at a peak rate the wired telephone network 8 may be utilized.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the gatewayapparatus 2 may be programmed through the use of the keypad 24 to selectits mode of operation based upon dialed digits collected from one of thewired telephones 30A–30B. In this manner, the wired telephone network 8may be utilized for certain types of telephone calls (e.g., localtelephone calls) and the wireless telephone network 6 may be utilizedfor other types of calls (e.g., long distance telephone calls). Thoseskilled in the art should appreciate that the gateway apparatus 2 mayutilize other types of factors to determine whether the wirelessconnection 32 should be utilized as a primary telephone connection or abackup telephone connection.

If the gateway apparatus 2 determines at state 202 that the wirelesstelephone connection should be utilized as a primary telephoneconnection, the state machine 200 transitions from state 202 to state300. State 300 is a mode in which the wireless connection 32 is used asa primary mode of communication for the wired home telephone network 4.The operation of the gateway apparatus 2 in this state is described ingreater detail below with respect to FIG. 3.

If, at state 202, the gateway apparatus 2 determines that the wirelessconnection 32 should be utilized as a backup connection for the wiredhome telephone network 4, the state machine 200 transitions to state400. State 400 constitutes the operating mode in which the gatewayapparatus 2 operates to provide a backup connection through the wirelesstelephone network 6. The wireless backup mode is described in greaterdetail below with respect to FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a state machine 300 will be described thatillustrates the operation of the gateway apparatus 2 in an operatingmode in which a wireless connection 32 is utilized as a primarytelephone network for the wired telephones 30A–30B. The state machine300 begins at block 302, where the gateway apparatus 2 determineswhether the wireless connection 32 is operative. If the gatewayapparatus 2 determines that the wireless connection 32 is inoperative,the state machine 300 transitions to state 304. At state 304, thegateway apparatus 2 connects the wired home telephone network 4 to thewired telephone network 8 through the wired network interface 28. Inthis manner, the wired telephone network 8 may be utilized as a backuptelephone network in the event of the failure of the wireless connection32. The state machine 300 remains at state 304 as long as the wirelessconnection 32 remains unavailable. If the wireless connection 32 becomesoperative, the state machine 300 transitions from state 304 back tostate 302.

If, at state 302, the gateway apparatus 2 determines that the wirelessconnection 32 is available, the state machine 302 transitions to state306. At state 306, the gateway apparatus 2 disconnects the wired hometelephone network 4 from the wired telephone network 8. Because thewireless telephone network 6 will be utilized as a primary mode ofcommunication, a connection to the wired telephone network 8 is notneeded. The wired network interface 28 and the wired telephone interface26 are utilized to disconnect the wired home telephone network 4 fromthe wired telephone network 8.

From state 306, the state machine 300 transitions to state 308, whereelectrical current is provided by the gateway apparatus 2 to the wiredhome telephone network 4. The current source 20 provides electricalcurrent which may be utilized by the wired telephones 30A–30B togenerate a ring tone or to light a display. The electrical currentgenerated by the current source 20 is identical to that received by thewired telephones 30A–30B from the wired telephone network 8.

At state 308 the gateway apparatus 2 also determines whether an incomingtelephone call has been detected at the wireless radio 16. If such anincoming call is detected, the state machine 300 transitions from state308 to state 320. At state 320, a ring signal is provided to the wiredhome telephone network 4 by the wired telephone interface 26. This ringsignal causes a ring tone to be generated at the wired telephones30A–30B. At state 320, a determination is also made as to whether theincoming call has been disconnected before it is answered at one of thewired telephones 30A–30B. If the incoming call is disconnected before itis answered, the state machine 300 transitions back to state 302. If oneof the wired telephones 30A–30B is placed in an off-hook state to answerthe incoming call, the state machine 300 transitions to state 318.

At state 318, signals are converted between the wireless radio 16 andthe wired telephone interface 26. In this manner, signals received fromthe wireless radio 16 may be transmitted to the wireless telephones30A–30B. Similarly, voice signals received at the wireless telephones30A–30B may be transmitted through the wireless radio 16 to the wirelesstelephone network 6. In this manner, the incoming telephone call may bereceived and conducted on one of the wired telephones 30A–30B. Thisconversion process continues, and the state machine 300 remains at state318, as long as the wired telephone remains in an off-hook state and thecall remains connected.

At state 318 a determination is also made as to whether the wiredtelephone on which the call is being conducted has been placed in anon-hook state. If the wired telephone is placed in an on-hook state, thecall is disconnected and the state machine returns to state 302. If thecall becomes disconnected but the wired phone remains in an off-hookstate, the state machine transitions to state 310 where a dial tonesignal may be provided to the wired telephone.

At state 308, a determination is also made as to whether one of thewired telephones 30A–30B has been placed in an off-hook state. If one ofthe wired telephones 30A–30B is placed in an off-hook state, the statemachine 300 transitions from state 308 to state 310. At state 310, adial tone signal is provided through the wired home telephone network 4to the wired telephone that has been placed in an off-hook state. Thedial tone signal may be provided by the wired telephone interface 26 tosimulate a traditional dial tone signal that would be provided from thewired telephone network 8. In another embodiment of the invention, nodial tone signal is provided.

At state 310, the gateway apparatus 2 makes a determination as towhether the wired telephone has been placed in an on-hook state. If thewired telephone has been placed in an on-hook state, the state machine300 transitions from state 310 to state 302. A determination is alsomade at the state 310 by the gateway apparatus 2 as to whether a dialeddigit has been entered on the wired telephone. If a digit has beenentered, the state machine 300 transitions to state 312, where the dialtone signal is ended. If the wired telephone is placed in an on-hookstate while at state 302, the state machine 300 transitions back tostate 302. Otherwise, the state machine 300 transitions from state 312to state 314.

At state 314 additional dialed digits are received from the wiredtelephone. If the wired telephone is placed in an on-hook position atstate 314, the state machine transitions to state 302. Once all of thedigits have been entered, the state machine 300 transitions from state314 to state 316, where the dialed digits are utilized by the wirelessradio 16 to initiate a telephone call through the wireless telephonenetwork 6.

If a call is established through the wireless telephone network 6, thestate machine 300 then transitions to state 318, where the conversioncircuitry 22 is utilized to convert signals between the wireless radio16 and the wired telephone interface 26. In his manner, the wiredtelephones 30A–30B may be utilized to place a telephone call through thewireless telephone network 6. If the wired telephone is placed in anon-hook state at state 318, the state machine 300 returns to state 302.

At state 302, a determination is also made as to whether the gatewayapparatus 2 should change operating modes to utilize the wirelesstelephone network 8 as a backup to the wired telephone network 4. Thismay occur in response to a user changing a configuration of the gatewayapparatus 2. This may also occur in response to the gateway apparatus 2determining programmatically that it would change state based on a userspecified condition. If the gateway apparatus determines that thewireless connection 32 should be utilized as a backup to a wiredconnection, the state machine 300 transitions back to state 200described above with respect to FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a state machine 400 will be described thatillustrates the operation of the gateway apparatus 2 in a mode ofoperation in which the wired telephone network 8 is utilized as aprimary telephone network and the wireless telephone network 6 isutilized as a backup. The state machine 400 begins at state 402, wherethe gateway apparatus determines whether a connection to the wiredtelephone network 8 is operative. As long as the connection to the wiredtelephone network 8 remains operative, the state machine 400 remains atstate 402. In this state, the wired home telephone network 4 iselectrically connected to the wired telephone network 8 through thewired telephone interface 26 and the wired network interface 28. Throughthis electrical connection, wired telephones 30A–30B may place callsover the wired telephone network 8 in a traditional manner.

If, at state 402, the gateway apparatus determines that the connectionto the wired telephone network 8 has become inoperative, the statemachine 400 transitions from state 402 to state 404. At state 404, anelectrical current is provided to the wired home telephone network 4 bythe current source 20. As described above, the electrical current iscompatible with that provided by the wired telephone network 8 and maybe utilized by the wired telephones 30A–30B to generate a ring signal orto light a telephone display.

At state 404, a determination is made as to whether the connection tothe wired telephone network 8 has been reestablished. If the connectionto the wired telephone network 8 has been reestablished, the statemachine 400 transitions from state 404 back to state 402 where the wiredtelephone network 8 will again be used as the primary telephone network.A determination is also made at step 404 as to whether an incomingwireless telephone call is detected at the wireless radio 16. If such anincoming call is detected, the state machine transitions from state 404to state 416. At state 416, a ring signal is provided to the wired hometelephone network 4 thereby ringing each of the wired telephones30A–30B. If the incoming call disconnects before it is answered at oneof the wired telephones 30A–30B, the state machine 400 returns to state402. If one of the wired telephones 30A–30B is placed in an off-hookstate thereby answering the incoming telephone call, the state machine400 transitions to state 414.

At state 414, the conversion circuitry 22 is utilized to convert signalsbetween those received at the wireless radio 16 and those received atthe wired telephone interface 26. In this manner, the wired telephones30A–30B may be utilized to answer and conduct the incoming telephonecall over the wireless telephone network 6. At state 414 a determinationis also made as to whether the wired telephone has been placed in anon-hook state. If, at state 414, it is determined that the wiredtelephone is placed in an on-hook state, the state machine 400transitions back to state 402. As long as the wired telephone 30A–30B isremains in an off-hook state and the call remains connected to thewireless radio 16, the state machine 400 remains at state 414. If thecall becomes disconnected from the wireless radio 16 but the wiredtelephone remains in an off-hook state, the state machine 400transitions to state 406.

At state 404, a determination is also made as to whether one of thewired telephones 30A–30B is placed in an off-hook state in order toplace an outgoing telephone call. If the gateway apparatus 2 determinesthat one of the wired telephones 30A–30B has been placed in an off-hookstate, the state machine 400 transitions to state 406. At state 406, thewired telephone interface 26 provides a dial tone signal to the wiredtelephone that has been placed in an off-hook state. By providing asynthetic dial tone to the wired telephone, the experience of placing atelephone call over a wired telephone 8 may be provided. Alternatively,no dial tone may be provided to the wired telephone placed in anoff-hook state.

If, at state 406, the wired telephone is placed in an on-hook state, thestate machine 400 returns to state 402. If, at state 406, the gatewayapparatus 2 determines that a digit has been entered on the wiredtelephone, the state machine 400 transitions to state 408, where thedial tone signal is stopped. If, at state 408, the wired telephone isplaced in an on-hook state, the state machine 400 transitions back tostate 402. Otherwise, the state machine transitions from state 408 tostate 410, where additional dialed digits are received from the wiredtelephone. If all of the digits have been entered at the wiredtelephone, the state machine 400 transitions to state 412, where thedialed digits are utilized by the wireless radio 16 to place an outgoingtelephone call over the wireless telephone network 6. When a call isestablished over the wireless telephone network 6, the state machine 400transitions to state 414.

As discussed above, at state 414 signals are converted between thewireless radio 16 and the wired telephone interface 26. This permits awireless telephone call to be placed over the wireless telephone network6 through one of the wired telephones 30A–30B. Because the gatewayapparatus 2 automatically utilizes the wireless telephone network 6 inthe event that the wired telephone network 8 becomes inoperative, itshould not be apparent to the user of the wired telephones 30A–30B whichnetwork is being utilized. If the wired telephone is placed in anon-hook state, the state machine 400 transitions from state 414 back tostate 402.

A determination is also made at state 402 as to whether the gatewayapparatus has been placed in a mode of operation in which the wirelessconnection 32 should be utilized as a primary telephone network. Thismay occur in response to a user selection of such a mode, or in responseto the gateway apparatus 2 determining that it should change modes basedon user identified parameters. In the event that the gateway apparatus 2determines that it should switch to the mode in which the wirelessconnection 32 is utilized as a primary telephone connection, the statemachine 400 transitions from state 402 to state 200, described abovewith respect to FIG. 2.

Based on the foregoing it should be appreciated that the presentinvention provides an apparatus for creating a gateway between a wiredtelephone network and a wireless telephone network. The gatewayapparatus allows wired telephones to utilize either a wired telephonenetwork as a primary network or a wireless telephone network as aprimary telephone network. The gateway apparatus also allows a wiredtelephone network to be utilized as a backup for a wireless telephonenetwork and allows a wireless telephone network to be utilized as abackup to a wired telephone network. The above specification, examplesand data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use ofthe composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of theinvention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.

1. An apparatus for providing a gateway between one or more wiredtelephones and a wireless telephone network wherein each of said one ormore telephones are directly connected to a wired home telephone networkwithout modification, the apparatus comprising: a wireless radiooperative to communicate with said wireless telephone network over awireless communications link; a wired telephone interface electricallycoupled to said one or more wired telephones directly connected to saidwired home telephone network without modification; and a controller,said controller operative to: detect an incoming telephone call at saidwireless radio, provide a ring signal through said wired telephoneinterface operative to ring said one or more wired telephones inresponse to detecting said incoming telephone call, and in response todetermining that a one of said one or more wired telephones has beenplaced in an off hook state, establish a communications channel betweensaid wired telephone interface and said wireless radio, therebypermitting said incoming telephone call to be received on said one ofsaid wired telephones placed in an off hook state; and a multi-linedisplay and a keypad utilized for programming said apparatus; whereinsaid apparatus maintains a connection to said wireless telephone networkwhile receiving incoming telephone calls via a wired telephone network;and wherein said apparatus is located between said wired home telephonenetwork and said wired network and is operative to electrically connectsaid wired home telephone network to said wired telephone network whilebypassing said wireless telephone network.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said controller is further operative to: determine whether oneof said one or more wired telephones has been placed in an off hookstate; collect one or more dialed digits from said one of said one ormore wired telephones placed in an off hook state; instruct saidwireless radio to establish an outgoing telephone call over saidwireless telephone network utilizing said dialed digits; and toestablish a communications channel between said wired telephoneinterface and said wireless radio, thereby permitting said outgoingtelephone call to be placed on said one of said wired telephones placedin an off hook state.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said wiredtelephone interface further comprises a current source for delivering anelectrical current to said one or more wired telephones compatible withPOTS service to provide ring signals to said one or more wiredtelephones.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said wired telephoneinterface is further operative to deliver a dial tone signal to said oneor more wired telephones in response to determining that a one of saidone or more wired telephones has been placed in an off hook state. 5.The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a wired network interfaceelectrically coupled to said wired telephone network, and wherein saidcontroller is further operative to: determine whether said wirelesscommunications link exists between said wireless radio and said wirelesstelephone network, and in response to determining that said wirelesscommunications link does not exist, to electrically connect said wiredtelephone interface and said wired network interface, therebyelectrically connecting said one or more wired telephones to said wiredtelephone network so that telephone calls placed on said one or morewired telephones will be placed over said wired telephone network.
 6. Amethod for providing a gateway between a wired telephone directlyconnected to a wired home telephone network and a wireless telephonenetwork, comprising: detecting an incoming wireless telephone call oversaid wireless telephone network; providing a ring signal to said wiredtelephone directly connected to said wired home network in response todetecting said incoming call; determining whether said wired telephonehas been placed in an off hook state in response to said ring signal;and in response to determining that said wired telephone has been placedin an off hook state, converting said incoming wireless telephone callto a format compatible with said wired telephone and converting signalsreceived at said wired telephone to a format compatible with saidwireless telephone network, thereby permitting said incoming telephonecall to be received and conducted on said wired telephone, wherein saidgateway maintains a connection with a wired telephone network and saidwireless telephone network even when receiving an incoming telephonecall over said wired telephone network; wherein said gateway is locatedbetween said wired home telephone network and said wired network and isoperative to electrically connect said wired home telephone network tosaid wired telephone network while bypassing said wireless telephonenetwork; and wherein said wired home telephone network comprisesdual-pair copper wire utilized to connect said wired telephone to saidwired telephone network.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:delivering an electrical current to said wired telephone compatible withPOTS service to provide ring signals to said wired telephone;determining if said wired telephone has been placed in an off hookstate; in response to determining that said wired telephone has beenplaced in an off hook state, receiving one or more dialed digits fromsaid wired telephone; placing an outgoing wireless telephone call oversaid wireless telephone network using said dialed digits; and convertingsignals associated with said outgoing wireless telephone call to aformat compatible with said wired telephone and converting signalsreceived at said wired telephone to a format compatible with saidwireless telephone network, thereby permitting said outgoing telephonecall to be placed and conducted on said wired telephone.
 8. The methodof claim 7, further comprising: providing a dial tone signal to saidwired telephone in response to determining that said wired telephone hasbeen placed in an off hook state.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: determining whether a valid communications link exists oversaid wireless telephone network; and in response to determining that avalid communications link does not exist over said wireless telephonenetwork, electrically connecting said wired telephone to said wiredtelephone network via said gateway.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: determining whether a valid communications link has beenreestablished over said wireless telephone network; and in response todetermining that a valid communications link has been reestablished oversaid wireless telephone network, electrically disconnecting said wiredtelephone from said wired telephone network.
 11. An apparatus forproviding a gateway between one or more wired telephones and a wirelesstelephone network wherein said one or more wired telephones are directlyconnected to a wired home network, comprising: a wireless radiooperative to communicate with said wireless telephone network over awireless communications link; a wired telephone interface electricallycoupled to said one or more wired telephones directly connected to saidwired home network; a wired network interface electrically coupled to awired telephone network; a current source; and a controller operative todetermine whether a connection between said one or more wired telephonesand said wired telephone network is operative wherein said controllermaintains a connection with said wired telephone network and saidwireless telephone network and, in response to determining that saidconnection between said one or more wired telephones and said wirednetwork is inoperative, said controller further operative to: cause saidcurrent source to deliver an electrical current to said one or morewired telephones compatible with POTS service, detect an incomingtelephone call at said wireless radio, provide a ring signal throughsaid wired telephone interface operative to ring said one or more wiredtelephones in response to detecting said incoming telephone call and, inresponse to determining that a one of said one or more wired telephoneshas been placed in an off hook state, said controller operative toestablish a communications channel between said wire telephone interfaceand said wireless radio, thereby permitting said incoming telephone callto be received on said one of said wired telephones placed in an offhook state; wherein said gateway is located between said wired hometelephone network and said wired network and is operative toelectrically connect said wired home telephone network to said wiredtelephone network while bypassing said wireless telephone network. 12.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in response to determining that saidconnection between said one or more wired telephones and said wirednetwork is inoperative, said controller is further operative to:determine whether one of said one or more wired telephones has beenplaced in an off hook state; collect one or more dialed digits from saidone of said one or more wired telephones placed in an off hook state;instruct said wireless radio to establish an outgoing telephone callover said wireless telephone network utilizing said dialed digits; andto establish a communications channel between said wired telephoneinterface and said wireless radio, thereby permitting said outgoingtelephone call to be placed on said one of said wired telephones placedin an off hook state.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said wiredtelephone interface is further operative to deliver a dial tone signalto said one or more wired telephones in response to determining that aone of said one or more wired telephones has been placed in an off hookstate.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said controller is furtheroperative to: determine whether a connection between said one or morewired telephones and said wired telephone network has beenreestablished, and in response to determining that said connectionbetween said one or more wired telephones and said wired telephonenetwork has been reestablished, to electrically connect said wiredtelephone interface and said wired network interface, therebyelectrically connecting said one or more wired telephones to said wiredtelephone network so that telephone calls placed on said one or morewired telephones will be placed over said wired telephone network.
 15. Amethod for providing a gateway between one or more wired telephones anda wireless telephone network wherein said one or more wired telephonesare directly connected to a wired home network, comprising: determiningwhether a connection between said one or more wired telephones directlyconnected to said wired home network and a wired telephone network isoperative wherein said gateway maintains a connection with said wiredtelephone network and said wireless telephone network; in response todetermining that said connection between said one or more wiredtelephones and said wired network is inoperative, delivering anelectrical current to said one or more wired telephones compatible withPOTS service, detecting an incoming telephone call at a wireless radio,providing a ring signal to said one or more wired telephones in responseto detecting said incoming telephone call and, in response todetermining that a one of said one or more wired telephones has beenplaced in an off hook state, establishing a communications channelbetween said one or more wired telephones and said wireless telephonenetwork, thereby permitting said incoming telephone call to be receivedon said one of said wired telephones placed in an off hook state;wherein said gateway is located between said wired home telephonenetwork and said wired network and is operative to electrically connectsaid wired home telephone network to said wired telephone network whilebypassing said wireless telephone network.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising: in response to determining that said connectionbetween said one or more wired telephones and said wired network isinoperative, determining whether one of said one or more wiredtelephones has been placed in an off hook state; collecting one or moredialed digits from said one of said one or more wired telephones placedin an off hook state; establishing an outgoing telephone call over saidwireless telephone network utilizing said dialed digits; andestablishing a communications channel between said one or more wiredtelephones placed in an off hook state and said wireless network,thereby permitting said outgoing telephone call to be placed on said oneof said wired telephones placed in an off hook state.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, further comprising: delivering a dial tone signal to said oneor more wired telephones in response to determining that a one of saidone or more wired telephones has been placed in an off hook state. 18.The method of claim 17, further comprising: determining whether aconnection between said one or more wired telephones and said wiredtelephone network has been reestablished, and in response to determiningthat said connection between said one or more wired telephones and saidwired telephone network has been reestablished, electrically connectingsaid one or more wired telephones to said wired telephone network sothat telephone calls placed or received on said one or more wiredtelephones will be placed or received over said wired telephone network.19. A computer-controlled apparatus for providing a gateway between awired home telephone network and a wireless telephone network, saidapparatus operative to: provide a first mode of operation in which saidapparatus is operative to monitor an operational status of a wiredtelephone network and to route a telephone call made from said wiredhome telephone network via a wired telephone directly connected to saidwired home telephone network through said wireless telephone network inresponse to determining that said wired telephone network is notoperational while maintaining an inoperative connection with said wiredtelephone network; and provide a second mode of operation in which saidapparatus is operative to monitor an operational status of said wirelesstelephone network and to route a telephone call made from said wiredhome network via a wired telephone directly connected to said wired hometelephone network through said wired telephone network in response todetermining that said wireless telephone network is not operationalwhile maintaining an inoperative connection with said wireless telephonenetwork; wherein said apparatus is located between said wired hometelephone network and said wired network and is operative toelectrically connect said wired home telephone network to said wiredtelephone network while bypassing said wireless telephone network. 20.The apparatus of claim 19, wherein either of said first or second modesmay be selected as a mode of operation for said computer-controlledapparatus, and wherein said mode of operation is selected based upon auser-specified schedule.
 21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein eitherof said first or second modes may be selected as a mode of operation forsaid computer-controlled apparatus, and wherein said mode of operationis selected based upon dialed digits collected from a wired telephonedirectly connected to said wired home telephone network.
 22. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said multi-line display displays at leastone of call progress indicators or configuration information.